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THE SUN PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING BEACHWEAR
Author(s) -
Jevtic Andrew P.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
australasian journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.67
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1440-0960
pISSN - 0004-8380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-0960.1990.tb00640.x
Subject(s) - clothing , sun protection , sun protection factor , medicine , dermatology , archaeology , history
S ummary Clothing represents a significant though underutilised form of sun protection but the literature reveals few studies dealing with this subject. This study used a solar simulator to assess in vivo sun protection factors (SPF) for two clothing items of beachwear ‐ a synthetic surf shirt and a combination cotton/polyester T‐shirt. The tests showed that the T‐shirt had a relative SPF of 15, and the surf shirt an SPF of 36. This however decreased by a factor of 1/3 in both cases when the material was wet. Overall, this compares favourably with conventional sunscreens and also has the advantage of a wide spectrum of cover.